Statement by Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational
Safety and Health Loren Sweatt on Workers’ Memorial Day 2018

WASHINGTON, DC - April 28 is Workers’ Memorial Day, a time we remember and honor the men and women who have lost their lives on the job. The Department of Labor is committed to ensuring safe and healthful workplaces for all American workers.

April 28 is also the day OSHA first opened its doors in 1971, after Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. American workplaces have become much safer in the decades since; however one life lost is one too many.

American workers’ health and safety must be protected, and every American worker should return home at the end of each and every workday, safe and unharmed. Workplace safety needs to be everyone’s priority. We will continue to work with our partners across the country – job creators, trade associations, labor unions, safety and health professionals, and individual workers – to make every workplace safe and healthful. Working together we can continue to improve working conditions in this country and create more good, safe family-sustaining jobs for all Americans.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

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